Using Information Management in Preparedness and Response: Making Timely and Relevant Decisions October 23-25, 2017 Meimei Leung meimei_leung@wvi.org
WHAT RESPONSE MANAGERS NEED IN DISASTERS
Response Strategy Response time line: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days Recovery phase usually 18-21 months or up to 3 to 5 years Geographic locations: priority areas, gaps area s Population data: disaggregate by gender, age, economic, social. Sectors: Food, WASH, Health, Shelter, NFIs, Education, Protection, Early Recovery, Funding strategy Human resource plan Capacity, risk & interest
To prepare and respond to disasters, humanitarian managers need Information with timeliness, when the assessment team has not arrived or start Information to monitor the development of disaster, like tendency for drought and floods Information of broader picture: severity, distribution of impacts Informaton for resources planning, setting area targets, etc
The Publication
Basically The Publication is something you can use to: Understand different types of data and where to find them How to process and analyse it for preparedness and response Using the data for better DRM decisionmaking
Chapter 1: Information and their Different types of information and their potential use Population CRVS Geospatial sources
Chapter 2: Approaches and tools It shows how to use the data for achieving situational awareness and DRM decisionmaking Hazard Identification & Vulnerability Assessment Capacity Assessment Risk Assessment Analysis Damage and Loss Assessment Need Assessment
Chapter 3: Evidence-based programming Geographical prioritization Identify immediate and long-term needs Design programs and/or strategies to address needs for response, rehabilitation and reconstruction Principle of evidencebased programming and decision making purposes
Workshop Workshops overview To raise awareness and capacity of key response stakeholders on info management in DRM, A series of national level Information Management and Decision Making workshops organised Provide a learning environment for: National DM offices CSO I/NGOs Private sector Local government units Vulnerable communities
TOTAL: 167 39 National Workshops 63 65 Due to variation in Attendant composition Development level of IM systems Level of disaster preparedness Response experience, Discussion/expectation differ Building common languages & tools for stakeholders Defining responsibilities Policy implication Community actions Common Action plans developed after e workshops Further discussion, actions &support needed to realize plans
Regional Workshop 51 participants from 23 entities governments
Workshop feedback overview More emphasis on strengthening IM system, process, and tools at the national and sub-national levels Useful in awareness raising and capacity building in terms of DRM and IM A good platform to network and explore partnership & coordination. A starting point to initiate discussion on or incorporation of IM in DM. More capacity building needed for better data analysis & literacy, and field level application
WV Myanmar IM in Response Preparedness & Strategic Decision Making 27% 9% 9% 9% 9% Workshop session 37% IM & Humanitarian Coordination Platform, Tools & Approach Use of Data - Early Warning Use of Data - Response Use of Data - Post-Disaster Discussion/ Brainstorm Myanmar was still at development stage in terms of awareness and knowledge towards IM, hence more focus would be an introduction to the existing and available resources. Presentations and sharing Identify data > Handle Data > Learning from Data Recommendation for Preparedness, Response & Recovery 9% 13% 4% Attendant expectations Learning - General DM & IM Learning - Trends in IM 74% Learning - using IM to improve practices Knowledge sharing
Attendant compostion 15 WV 10 Private Sector International Org 5 0 A good portion of government representation at the workshop indicated support or interest of government towards disaster management and IM. The country has relatively experience and development level in this area, hence government would join the workshop with exploratory intentions. In Myanmar, government sent staff to attend to learn and reckoned the workshop as fruitful and helpful. The Myanmar government is now convinced how important information is, and learned from expatriates that Myanmar government lack knowledge on information management, according to interviews. CSO INGO Govt 45% Myanmar Workshop feedback & rating High overall satisfaction towards workshop, yet some participants reflected that maybe because Myanmar is the first in the IM workshop series, so it s not perfect, GIS system wasn t really addressed in the workshop. The sharing was more theoretical, and not very practical. RECOMMENDATION More workshops: Frequently provide this kind of training in various part of Myanmar, it can be shared and have more knowledge for the people especially stakeholders of Myanmar. Workshop contextualization: Government attendants only understood 50-60% of what was shared in workshop, need use of local language ; topics and approach need to meet this country's context and data access. 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 Workshop content Knowledge improvement Relevance to work
WV Philippines IM in Disaster Risk Management Decision Making Workshop sessions Most sessions were focused on humanitarian coordination and practical application, and less on introducing existing resources. It might be because Philippines was relatively advanced in IM compared to Myanmar. More time was allowed for discussion how to facilitate collaboration between different stakeholders and platforms that are already engaged in IM. 0% 18% 23% 18% 35% 6% IM & Humanitarian Coordination Platform, Tools & Approach Use of Data - Early Warning Use of Data - Response Use of Data - Post-Disaster Discussion/ Brainstorm Presentations and sharing IM from primary and secondary data; Project NOAH 23% 18% Attendant expectations 35% Learning - General DM & IM Learning - Trends in IM Learning - using IM to improve practices Networking 12% 12% Knowledge sharing To meet my counterparts in other organizations and be able to work with them well when the next disaster hits
Great support received from the government! Apart from hosting us in their DRR & management building, a visit to the Government Central Operations Centre of Quezon City, which monitors disasters, crimes & traffic, was arranged on Day 2!
Private Sector CSO 15 WV 10 5 0 International Org Govt Attendant composition In Philippines, where government is relatively experienced in disaster response and management, government representatives attended the workshop in hope to see how everyone is doing and understand perception and roles of different stakeholders in the country in terms of IM to help better coordination. INGO Improvement in overall ratings, due to continuous learning and improvement from previous workshop for the design of session and selection of speakers to deliver presentations. RECOMMENDATION More workshops: Periodical discussion on good IM practices among response agencies/institutions More focused on technical aspect of IM Tools and best practices Community engagement: what I really want is, key partners must always work together with communities through information sharing and integration of new concept. 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% Philippines Workshop feedback & rating Data literacy: Making sense out of data and out of numbers (analytical capacity) Workshop contextualization: realistic simulation exercises with local context 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 Workshop content Knowledge improvement Relevance to work
WV Solomon Islands IM in Disaster Risk Management Decision Making 0% 4% 23% 12% 15% Workshop sessions 46% IM & Humanitarian Coordination Platform, Tools & Approach Use of Data - Early Warning Use of Data - Response Use of Data - Post-Disaster Discussion/ Brainstorm IM needs to be a two-way activity with info flowing from and to from households and provincial and national level Mr. Hassett, Deputy High Commissioner, DFAT Solomon Islands is comparatively advanced in CRVS. The workshop has strong focused on humanitarian coordination and application of IM to Climate Change Adaptation & Early Warning. Value of networking and building relationships and partnerships in strengthening information sharing for DRM was highlighted in the workshop. Session design had strong focus on Climate Change Adaptation & Early Warning Simulations 7% 7% 14% 72% Attendant expectations Learning - General DM & IM Learning - others Networking Knowledge sharing I met a lot of stakeholders, like World Vision, National Disaster Management Offices, Meteorological Services, and Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology through this workshop. - A community leader
Private Sector WV 8 6 4 2 0 Attendant composition International Org Solomon Islands workshop had the best representations of all stakeholders and was the only workshop with CSO participants representing community. CSO Govt 50% Workshop feedback & rating 45% INGO Rating improving throughout the workshop series! Highest scoring for Solomon Islands! RECOMMENDATION More workshops: Build my capacity in further relevant training, and substantially advocate me on carrying out knowledge facilitation and sharing with stakeholders(intra and inter agencies), provincial government level and local communities on IM in disaster management in the light of impacts of climate change. Community engagement: I want the community based disaster risk management (CBDRM) or the early warning system to be implemented in the major rivers in the provinces in the Solomon Islands. 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 Workshop content Knowledge improvement Relevance to work
Follow up plan and action During the workshops, discussion and brainstorming sessions were arranged for participants to discuss and propose follow-up plans. The follow up plans could either be related to their own organization or interagency collaboration. Each workshop s follow up plan characterized by their current development of DM and IM among different stakeholders. Coordination via Working Group using Standardised Format Common Disaster information management System for preparedness, response and recovery Intra & inter- organization communication Social Media & Media Management Policy implication for gov t (LGU) Advocate for broader information management, not just weather but all hazards Institutionalising DRRM Community awareness raising & capacity building Community early warning system installation and preparedness Local level stakeholders coordination & collaboration
Follow-up evaluation: >35% participants indicated that they or their organisations had taken actions according to their follow-up plan. Discussion with government stakeholders to solve challenges & initiate coordination, e.g. Solomon Islands Meteorological Services, Myanmar Relief & Resettlement Department, and Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices. Solomon Islands: Actions taken in communities as part of CBDRM, installing rain gauge monitor and flood monitor for EWS. Myanmar: an NGO provided technical advisory Support to RRD for mobile data collection of Damage and Loss Assessment External partnering and engagement 28% Implemented concrete actions 22% Started discussion within organisations 36% Shared workshop knowledge & resource internally 14% Started discussion to list out concrete steps to realise follow-up action or have started review of existing systems and tools within organisation that contribute to information management. 17% 17% 23% 43% informal daily basis sharing workshop/ training within organisation workshop/ training across organisations shared with local communities.
Impact 1: Improved knowledge and practice How has the sources and approaches by which you access data changed since the workshops? 16% 8% 51% 6% 5% 14% establishing partnership for accessing better data Improved data analysis skill Expanded information collection channels Improved data collection/usage led to better DRM Better Data validation procedures/practices No comment Participants retained knowledge and ability to apply the tools and/or share the information to colleagues. 50% reported changes in how and where they collect or access data. 1/6 have proceeded to establishing partnerships to gain better access to information 14% reported expanded their information collection channels
Impact 2: Utilisation of tool for analysis Indicated improvement in utilisation of the data and using it for analysis 54% have improved their understanding of CRVS 43% have improved their understanding of Geospatial data 50%have improved their analytic skills 50% improve usage of data in disaster management
Impact 2: Utilisation of tool for analysis Based on evaluation result successful raising awareness to realise and recognise the importance of IM tools. The workshops contributed towards participants: Expand & enhance collection of info about hazard events, exposure, vulnerability, and the impacts of disasters Develop analytic skills which inform understanding towards the trends, spatial & temporal impacts of potential disaster risks and their impacts; Encourage the integration of different aspects of IM into DRM decisionmaking. Caution: current data set makes no distinction on the knowledge and behaviour gains made at the individual, organisational and national level.
Impact 3: Networking and Partnership 50% 35% could workshops helped them meet potential partnering entities interact with the agencies they would like to engage with throughout the workshops. 10% such interaction has led to follow-up collaboration with other organisations. Appears to be a mismatch between those who said they have met people who they want to engage with (35%), and those who followed up with their new acquaintances for further collaborations (10%). Reflection: while the workshops have provided space for networking, attendants have some difficulty in following up on their new connections.
Impact 4: Broad-base engagement of DRM stakeholders Certain groups of stakeholders particularly well represented Insufficient/ lack of representation of : private sector community members technology developers academia Recommendation: expand the representation of other actors in future awareness raising and training initiatives. Impact 5: Inspiring follow-up actions At the organisational level: good follow-up to these action plans Myanmar & Solomon Islands. Around 60% did not follow-up on the action plans. Indication: action plan follow-up can be strengthened at individual level. Recommendation: clearly defined performance indicator and accountability measures in place to ensure effective implementation over the long term.
Impact 6: Long Term Capacity-Building Retaining knowledge through: 50% training internal staff on related IM tools. 38% facilitated training for external staff and local communities 20% transferred knowledge on a daily basis Yet, difficult to measure the quality and standard of knowledge transferred, as there were no defined indicators Hence, a systemic investment on long-term capacity building needed E.g. increase investment on staff learning and development with focus on IM, design/provide coaching programme, inter-agency or inter-department or intercountry deployments. More focused on technical aspect of IM Tools and best practices More knowledge to read and analyse the data. Frequently provide this kind of training in various part of Myanmar, can be shared and have more knowledge for the people especially stakeholders of Myanmar. I want to attend and follow up workshop regards on this topic. in depth for specific topic & not many facilitator Periodical discussion on good information management practices Specific GIS and Spatial Analysis. data literacy - making sense out of data and out of numbers (analytical capacity)
Significant change story The workshop opens our eyes, World Vision, in the area of information management. It s a first step, it needs to be followed up, so we can improve in both preparedness and response in future -Moe Thu, Associate Director Humanitarian Emergency Affairs, World Vision Myanmar The training helped to expand our horizon broadening the knowledge of how to do things according to different levels. -Lazarus Mato Ogani, Papaga Community DPC Chairperson, Papaga Community It s important to coordinate with other organisations, through the workshops and the working groups. Programme Quality Specialist, Humanitarian organisation, Philippines It was nice to see how the NGOs and World Vision are keen to share data. -Andre Fournier, Information Management Manager, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation I learnt a lot of new things that I never learnt before through this modern and international workshop. We usually only get small workshops. This increases our capacity to deal with risks. -James Viriala, Komukama Community DPC Vice Chairperson, Komukama Community
Follow up: trainings for national rapid response teams Practical application of IM in disaster management work Local adaptation of using IM tools and approaches RAPID approach Pre-crisis assessments
Thank you